My sisters are interior design masters. I'm lucky because they tell me ideas and help me set them in motion. Last time Jill was in town, she helped retile our fireplace. Jessica chose a new light fixture for our family room. This summer, both of my sisters were here together and they suggested renovating my half bathroom.
I don't know who is most animated about our updated bathroom me or the kids. The kids checked in on the bathroom progress constantly. If you need cheerleaders, let me know. They're available for hire. To say they are enthusiastic about the changes is an understatement. The children exclaimed that the bathroom paint color looks like outer space. It's moody and I'm obsessed. The pictures don't do it justice.
The half bathroom is the smallest room in our house which made for some tight corridors throughout the project. This bathroom is the main one guests use, so lots of people see it. Instant payoff. Piano students use it regularly. Our half bathroom certainly needed a face lift and the transformation is better than I envisioned. In my sister's words: "it's the cutest bathroom I've ever seen."
Let's show you some before pictures.
You might be wondering why there was a massive towel rack. Beats me. This half bathroom doesn't have a shower. Getting rid of that was one of my first priorities.
Removing the mirror was taxing, but go Andrew! He did it with only a slight break. That thing had layers of glue. Finding a mirror replacement was tricky, but we did it. The first mirror I ordered was too small. Hanging the new mirror took lots of creativity. We ended up having to create a tool that we called a dinglehopper to maneuver behind the mirror to be able to attach it to the hooks. Said dinglehopper is made of 3 cabob sticks taped together with a paperclip attached to the end. Whew. What a process.
During this process, I learned a new word, "tchotchke." My sisters casually used the term and I had never heard it. According to Google it means: "a small object that is decorative rather than strictly functional, a trinket." How creative to go with a game decor theme! I did not come up with this. Games are played on the regular around here. Jill ordered darling dominoes. That game is meaningful because my parents love it! They taught it to our kids in Brazil. I have many fond memories playing that game with them. The other game on display is Clue which is also significant. Andrew and I played a game of Clue (my roommate Sarah played too) and we made a bet. Whoever lost had to take Andrew out on a date. Let's just say I lost and took Andrew out. The rest is history. In case you're wondering, we don't play Clue together often. Andrew is the reigning champion and playing him can get discouraging quick.
I didn't realize how many details go into such a small space. Everything came together exquisitely. I'm so appreciative to my sisters who spent endless time, energy, and effort on this project. Jessica was painting while super pregnant and ill. Things were a little precarious at times... And at one point we were using flashlights to paint since we had taken out the old light fixture but didn't want to install the new fixture until we had painted around that area. In the photo below, I'm leaning standing on the counter trying not to fall into the toilet.
Cost:
I didn't want to spend a ton on this project. My budget was about $500. We have some more pressing house fixes we need to take care of. I would love to someday replace the countertops or vanity, but after painting the cupboard blue, I like it so much more! We tried a peel and stick counter that looks like marble to cover. Unfortunately it didn't workout, but it was worth a shot since the peel on only cost $10.
Peel and stick marble counter
Details:
Paint: Benjamin Moore VAN DEUSEN BLUE-- FREE so generous of Jess and Chris to let us use their extra paint. Both of my sisters have this color in their homes. Jessica's master bedroom is painted Van Deusen blue and Jill's dining room is also this shade. Though our styles and houses are different, the blue looks gorgeous in each of our spaces.
Mirror: Amazon $96.51
Light fixture: Amazon $78.39
Light bulbs: Home Depot $10.98
Floating shelves: Amazon $31.84
Paint for shelves: Lowe's $6.41 color Mint Chip
New faucet: Amazon $27.99
Marble contact paper for counter: Amazon $9.99
Knobs for cabinet: Home Depot under $10
Towel holder: Amazon $8.57
Toilet paper holder: Amazon $9.00
Shadow box frames: Michaels $39.99 each x 4 (they were on sale for buy one get one half off)
Dominoes: Bando.com $35.95
Rug: World Market $20
Rug gripper pad: Amazon $8
Soap dispenser: Amazon $10
Babys breath artificial flowers: Amazon $10
Clue board game: Amazon $17.99. Used a $2 copy from DI for practice
Game pieces print: Redbubble $3.49
Grand total: About $517.11 (I stayed under budget because Jill gifted me a few of the items as payment for watching Daisy which was so generous.)
While my sisters were around, we watched all the episodes of Chip and Joanna Gaines renovating Hotel 1928. Now I have the itch. A coat of paint and some other minor things drastically changed the aesthetic and feel of the bathroom. Painting the island in our kitchen blue is now on my list. So is re-doing the master bathroom and kids bathroom. (I already know what color!) For now, I ordered a new faucet for the kitchen which will be a quick upgrade and make a world of difference since now Andrew can do plumbing apparently. A man of many trades. I'm not usually keen on hanging out in bathrooms, but I may have to start getting ready in our 1/2 bath now...
No comments:
Post a Comment